The best books of 2023

This list is part of the best books of 2023.

Join 1,707 readers and share your 3 favorite reads of the year.

My favorite read in 2023…

Book cover of The Whalebone Theatre

Tracey Lee Why did I love this book?

This is a beautifully told story of a highly imaginative and creative child who, left to her own devises, makes a world for herself and siblings to escape the neglect of the self-indulgent adults who have little interest in raising them.

Cristabel Seagrave is courageous, fiercely loyal, and protective. She sees the magic in the environment and people around her and when she makes a theatre from the whalebones she claims as hers, she brings that world to life for others. The book reaffirmed for me the exquisite nature of childhood imagination and the resilience of the human spirit.

By Joanna Quinn,

Why should I read it?

3 authors picked The Whalebone Theatre as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

'THE BOOK OF THE SUMMER' Sunday Times

'A tour de force' Sarah Winman, author of Still Life

This is the story of an old English manor house by the sea, with crumbling chimneys, draping ivy and a library full of dusty hardbacks. It's the story of the three children who grow up there, and the adventures they create for themselves while the grown-ups entertain endless party guests.

This is the story of a whale that washes up on a beach, whose bones are claimed by a twelve-year-old girl with big ambitions and an even bigger imagination. An unwanted orphan who…


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My 2nd favorite read in 2023…

Book cover of A Heart Full of Headstones

Tracey Lee Why did I love this book?

I’m a big fan of the character John Rebus and Ian Rankin’s series about this tough, old-school Scottish detective whose past is finally catching up with him in this book.

Rankin brings back all the players who have been enemies and allies of Rebus. I love the way the story ties up the loose ends of old cases and despite Rebus’s retirement from the force he is still on the hunt to punish the perpetrators of long-forgotten crimes.

I love his sarcasm and fearlessness. The rough tenderness and genuine regret for things undone makes him a believable character who knows he is on his way out, accepts the inevitability of his own wrongdoings and is prepared to face whatever is coming his way.  

By Ian Rankin,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked A Heart Full of Headstones as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

In a brand-new series installment, New York Times bestselling author, Ian Rankin, returns to his legendary detective—it’s not the first time Rebus has taken the law into his own hands, though it may be the last. 

John Rebus stands accused: on trial for a crime that could put him behind bars for the rest of his life.
 
But what drove a good man to cross the line?
 
Detective Inspector Siobhan Clarke may well find out. Clarke is tasked with the city’s most explosive case in years, an infamous cop, at the center of decades of misconduct, has gone missing. Finding…


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My 3rd favorite read in 2023…

Book cover of All the Broken Places

Tracey Lee Why did I love this book?

The sequel to The Boy in the Striped Pajamas does not disappoint. The power of guilt and ghastliness of WWII are some of the elements woven into Gretel Fernsby’s story.

It is an interesting perspective as it is told by a 91-year-old woman who was undoubtedly on the wrong side of history as a child. The story balances the longevity of blame with Gretel’s right to keep her past a secret and as a reader I found myself moving between understanding why there could be no forgiveness for the horrors of Nazism and the recognition of the fact that a child does not get choices about which side they are on in a war.

By John Boyne,

Why should I read it?

4 authors picked All the Broken Places as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

'Beautifully told and gripping from first page to last' Sunday Express
'An incredible feat of storytelling... and an old-fashioned page-turner' Donal Ryan
'Gripping and well-honed...consummately constructed, humming with tension' Guardian
'You can't prepare yourself for the magnitude and emotional impact of this powerful novel' John Irving
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From the author of the globally bestselling, multi-million-copy classic, The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas, comes its astonishing and powerful sequel.

Gretel Fernsby is a quiet woman leading a quiet life. She doesn't talk about her escape from Germany seventy years ago or the dark post-war years in France with her mother. Most…


Don‘t forget about my book 😀

Book cover of Wither

What is my book about?

In this second novel featuring Lily O’Hara she comes to face the brutal truth about abuse. No stranger to delving into the past and uncovering painful secrets Lily is drawn to the unknown story of a young fisherman who takes his life and leaves a cryptic message about the truth killing him. Lily doesn’t know the man well having only met him briefly but her husband’s best friend, Max Fraser, is the person who receives the letter and wants to know what it means. Benedict (Kitty) Jepp is dead, and it falls to Lily to uncover why.